Mind in the Making

Today I was lucky enough to get to learn about Ellen Galinsky's theories on raising our children in a way that prepares them for success in their life.  Ellen Galinsky is the author of the book"Mind in the Making:  The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs". 

I am so excited because I actually won a copy of the book at the workshop and I cannot wait to start reading it, but I thought I'd share some of the really amazing things that I learned from the Learning Community session I attended.

The research that is in Glanisky's book stresses the importance of life skills over cognitive skills.  They go on to share that not only is it more important for your children to learn these skills, such as focus, impulse control, low level empathy, and so on, but these skills are actually a better predictor of success in life than a child's IQ. 

I don't want to go too deeply into the research until I have a chance to read the book, but I will tell you that the videos that we watched stressed the importance of interaction with your child, and how these interactions are the absolute best way for your kids to learn.  I walked away feeling like I needed to step away from my phone, my computer, my ipad, and all of the other multimedia devices in my house.  I need to have my kids put away their electronics, turn off the tv, and pick up their books.  Honestly, I have no intention of taking these things away completely, because in my opinion, giving them a little downtime with their LeapPad or favorite movie is not a terrible thing, however, the constant need for technology in our house needs to stop.  We need to pick up their books more than just at bedtime.  We need to sit and play creatively more often.  I need to make myself more physically and emotionally available more often so that my little ones can learn from me. 

I encourage you to take a minute to visit the Mind in the Making website and see what you can learn.  I am going to take this book on vacation with me, and hopefully attempt to implement some of the teaching tips that Ms. Galinsky suggests.  After all, it is our job to set our children up to thrive, and there is no greater gift that you can give them.